OWENSBORO, Ky. (12/17/13) - Catherine Shelton, who has served the Daviess County Public Schools district as an educator since 1995, has been selected as the Director of Curriculum and Technology for the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala. She begins her responsibilities on Jan. 2, 2014.

The USSRC launched a nationwide search for the new position, which will involve working on the curriculum for Space Camp and museum exhibits, with alignment for state and national standards for student groups and educators. Shelton will also be involved with grants and educational initiatives connected to the USSRC and Space Camp, and will make presentations at various educational conferences on the topic of STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education.

Shelton received a bachelor of science degree in middle grades education in the field of science and social studies, with minors in earth/space science and history from Western Kentucky University. She also earned a master of arts degree in educational administration and a master of science degree in geoscience from WKU.

She joined the DCPS district in 1995 as an eighth-grade science and social studies teacher at College View Middle School. She took students to the Space Camp while a teacher at CVMS. She continued her career at Daviess County High School as earth/space science instructor in 1999 and was named staff developer at Apollo High School in 2004. From 2011 to the present, she has served a Technology Integration Specialist for the DCPS district. She served CVMS and DCHS as academic team coach, a role she has continued at Apollo High School.

Shelton has also taught geology at the Owensboro Community and Technical College and geography of Kentucky for WKU-Owensboro campus. She has made presentations at numerous state and national conferences.

Shelton said, “I will hit the ground running aligning Space Camp and museum exhibit curriculum to national standards to demonstrate how informal education opportunities fit into instruction for students and make a smooth connection between classroom and field experience,” Shelton said. “My knowledge gained through DCPS has prepared me by showing the importance of relevance between education and real-world experiences.”

Anthony Sparks, DCPS director of instructional technology, said Shelton has left a legacy of excellence at the DCPS. “Catherine has earned an outstanding reputation for her spectrum of knowledge and skills,” Sparks said. “Our students and staff have benefited tremendously from her contributions, and we wish her the best as she continues to impact lives on the national level.”